Conviction a reminder to Fiji teachers of ban on corporal punishment

The Teachers Association in Fiji says a teacher who has admitted using a hose pipe to strike 26 students is a reminder for teachers to follow to the law.

Sekope Kacimaiwai, from Volivoli school in Saqani, has pleaded guilty to five counts of assault causing occasional bodily harm and 21 counts of common assault.

The President of the Association, Tevita Koroi, says the union feels for the teacher but acknowledges the law clearly states corporal punishment is illegal in schools.

"It continues to remind teachers that we can only push students up to a certain limit and we have to work within the framework of the law. And if the students don't respond according to instructions and methods of teaching that are used in schools, then that's it. We cannot push students so much."

Tevita Koroi says the union understands the teacher's difficulty of having to manage a large number of students outside school hours in a rural area.